“My mother knew I was a singer when I began
carrying a tune at two years old before I actually spoke sentences. She
would sing nursery rhymes and I would imitate her. I have had no formal
training; truly, this is a God thing,” says Barbara McGillicuddy.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, adopted by Jack and Wilma Kauffman who moved the family, which includes her sister Karen, to Florida’s Space Coast in 1966, she is a true "space kid." From as far back as Barbara can remember her dad, Jack Kauffman always bragged about his daughter singing like an angel and going places one day.
In 1981 McGillicuddy graduated from Titusville High School, where she began singing as a sophomore, encouraged by her high school guidance counselor’s belief in her. Every Friday he took McGillicuddy, and his wife, to a bar, where he set her up to sing with a big band. Those appearances brought other gigs in her local community.
Her singing career began with the classics: The Hallelujah Chorus-Vivaldi’s Gloria and transitioned to rock and roll, country, blues, jazz, classical and opera. Making money as a singer was not McGillicuddy’s first priority, but to feed her soul doing what she loves.
In 1994 McGillicuddy auditioned and landed solo parts with a volunteer community chorus. Joined by her father, who also sang with the group, McGillicuddy and her father traveled with the chorus to Italy and Switzerland, performing at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for High Mass on Sunday mornings. An experience McGillicuddy describes as “Awesome.”
In 1996 McGillicuddy landed a job with a dance company that had the promise of making it big in Vegas: doing gigs and starting a studio. The man who was to set up the gigs and the studio left McGillicuddy and company to do the jobs while he took off with the seed money for the studio. In spite of the set back, blessings followed McGillicuddy, leading to the opportunity to perform at places like the Sands, the Dunes, the Palace Station, the Golden Nugget, the Holiday Inns and the Hiltons.
In 2005 McGillicuddy’s vocal talent positioned her to be named Music Director by the City of Titusville, arranging and performing all of their Patriotic Events. She is also a member of the Flag and Memorial Committee for Titusville.
In 2006 McGillicuddy wrote and produced eight songs in a collection called "A Walk Through Time," songs that express her heart and soul on her journey through discovering the meaning and purpose of her life.
In McGillicuddy’s words: “I had a spiritual awakening. All I can say is that God made me do it. I did not know I could but I felt these songs simply had to come into being. They are about love, light, Creator God, peace and goodwill for all. They are meant to assist one to center themselves in order to meditate and pray. They are a gift from God, plain, pure and simple”
Weddings and Memorial Services are a steady stream of employment for this talented young singer. In spite of her busy schedule she still finds time to do many volunteer events for local groups like Hospice, for military based organizations, as well as leading and directing the Titusville Singing Seniors and performing as a soloist with the Community Band of Brevard.
A few of McGillicuddy’s favorite songs and artists: "At Last," originally performed by Etta James and “Blue Bayou,” originally performed by Linda Ronstadt; “When You Wish Upon A Star,” performed by a variety of performers.
One can’t help but feel the passion and life the songs take on through this talented vocalist. In her words, “I can belt out a McGillicuddy rendition of a Streisand song, then turn around and sing Mallotte’s Lord’s Prayer in my own singing style.”
Singing is not McGillicuddy’s only love: she loves cooking, antiquing and drawing blueprint type pictures of the many establishments she intends to build when all things come into fruition. Her dream is to build a no cost spay/neuter and healing facility for the animals, along with a healing center for the whole person: mind, body, spirit and soul. It is her love for the animals that prompted McGillicuddy to found The Florida State Catahoula Rescue, to which she donates portions of the proceeds from her literary and musical career.
“If I touch one soul with my life's works in some capacity, then I have been blessed abundantly with the love of our divine source,” says McGillicuddy.
It is McGillicuddy’s belief that her love for music and animals comes from a deep rooted love for Creator God and what He would have her to do to help change the Earth.